A Sadistic Game
by DarkShock
Summary: What happens when you are an anomaly in a world where so many are miserable? Do you try to blend in and ignore the prospect of being different, or do you fight to make people feel better, even though so many are against you? This is the dilemma of detective Aru Akise, someone who has failed once before to improve the world. Can he succeed, or will he fail again? M for later events.
1. Beginnings with the 3rd

Author's Note: So, one day, I decided to read Mirai Nikki: Paradox, and I absolutely loved it. So, once I finally got a decent premise for a continuation of it, I started writing. However, this is **not** a rip-off of the story The Knight's Diary by TheWatcher2785. While a few similarities may exist, and they share the same premise I will do my best to have my story differ from theirs. With that said, although I may not continue this in the near future, I hope you enjoy this!

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A Sadistic Game: Chapter 1

A loud buzz reverberated through a small room. It contained white walls with four Sherlock Holmes posters, a full sized bed, a tiny desk, a moderately-sized table, a medium-sized dresser, and a Sherlock Holmes rug.

From the wide cerulean blanket, a fist appeared which travelled in an arc to the top of the red alarm clock. Subsequently, the noise stopped, and a slim young male yawned. He proceeded to throw the blanket off of him revealing his silver hair, coral red eyes, and silver pajamas. While unbuttoning his shirt to put on his clothes, he found a dark blue rectangular flip phone.

_Hmm? How peculiar. I don't remember putting my cell phone here. This is certainly a mystery._

Suddenly, the boy smiled.

_Well, no matter. Detective Aru Akise is on the case!_

With that, the boy changed out of his pajamas and put on his normal attire; a white buttoned shirt, a blue jacket, a black tie, gray pants, and black shoes. He placed the phone in his pants pocket, and quickly ate breakfast. Afterwards, he gave his mom and dad a hug before getting on his bike and pedaling over to Sakurami Middle School.

He was a little early, so he decided to pull out the phone he found in the hallway. To his surprise, when he turned it on, there was already writing inside of it. The writing was typed and organized in bullet points.

_How strange. I never used this before, and yet there's already writing in it. I don't sleepwalk, and I make sure to stay far away from any sort of drugs. Well, let's see what's here…_

Yukiteru Amano.

Class 2B

2:40 PM

September 20th, 2013

Attacked by the 3rd.

Sakurami Department Store.

14th Floor.

_Wait a second. 2:40 PM? September 20__th__, 2013? That's right after school today! But I don't have anything planned after school. Hmm…this is very interesting. Perhaps this device can predict the future? But how and why would this happen? And, more importantly, why did this device suddenly appear on my desk this morning? There are so many questions, and not enough answers. It's been a while since I've had to unravel a conundrum like this, but I'm certainly not complaining about it. I suppose I'll drop by the department store after school to investigate. Yes, now it's official; I'm on the case!_

With a smile, Aru turned the phone off, placed it back in his pocket, and opened the door to Classroom 2C.

A few girls giggled and blushed as the silver-haired boy walked into the classroom.

"Aru-kun is so dreamy…"

"I wonder if he already has a girlfriend?"

"Don't get any ideas…"

The girls were whispering, so Aru couldn't hear them. With that, he finished walking to his seat near the back of the classroom. Although he wanted to investigate the mystery of his unusual cell phone, he managed to keep his focus on the lesson somewhat. However, he still took a few breaks to examine the phone. At 2:10, the final bell rang. Subsequently, he picked up his bag, ran outside, and rode his bike over to the Department Store.

_2:39 PM. Looks like I'm right on time. So, according to this, the '3rd', whoever that is, is going to attack on the 14__th__ floor of this building. Well, it's time to see if this is an elaborate trick or if this phone can actually predict the future._

The silver haired boy put his bike and bag on a rack right by the building and ran inside. He took the elevator up to the 14th floor only to see a man in a dark green trench coat with his back facing Aru. The sound of the elevator bell caused the man to turn around, revealing that he had a black cowboy hat, red hair, a gas mask, black pants, and a rather long knife.

His voice was muffed by the mask. "Who are you? You aren't the 1st!"

Aru was confused. "1st?"

"Wait, you don't know who the 1st is? Aren't you holding a Future Diary?"

"Future Diary? …Ah!"

_So this thing can predict the future. I'm still finding this difficult to believe, but I can't deny the truth. My job as a detective is to find the truth and bring it to light, and there are certainly many more mysteries regarding this phone._

"Fine, so I guess you aren't the 1st. Although…I certainly wouldn't mind killing another Diary Owner! Die!"

With that, the 3rd charged at him. He moved rather slowly and Aru was rather skilled in close combat; training in it to help him achieve the title of detective. So, Aru managed to evade the 3rd's attack, grab his knife, and use the end of it on his left shoulder to pacify him. The 3rd howled in pain and dropped down to his knees.

"Ungh…bastard!"

Aru took a long look at him, and all of a sudden, a memory played in his head.

_Two months ago…_

During the evening, Aru walked down the stairs in his pajamas.

"Mom? Dad? Is Sherlock Holmes on now?"

His mother said, "No, not right now. However, it will be on in about five minutes. Want to watch a little news with us before it begins?"

Aru shrugged. "Sure."

With that, he sat on a scarlet colored couch and gazed at the TV.

The news reporter said, "And with breaking news, the infamous serial killer in Sakurami City has claimed yet another victim. And, despite numerous police efforts to catch the criminal, all we have concerning his identity are a few out of focus pictures."

The TV then cut to a picture of the corpse. It appeared to be male, and had been stabbed once in the heart, most likely leading to an instant death. A minute or two later, the station showed the pictures they had of the killer. They were clearly taken from far away, and all of them were obscured by buildings, but they showed a little of him.

Afterwards, Aru's dad looked at his son, who appeared to be rather deep in thought. "Are you alright, Aru?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, I'm fine. I'll probably talk with Nishijima-san and the other members of the police about this later."

Aru's mother bit her lip. "Be careful, alright, Aru?"

"I will. Now then, let us watch some Sherlock Holmes."

_Back to the present…_

With that memory in his mind, Aru narrowed his eyes, opened the phone, and punched in the number of the police station.

Suddenly, the 3rd yelled, "What are you do…ugh…"

A dart flew through the air and pierced the 3rd's phone, interrupting his question and causing him to slowly vanish.

Aru's jaw dropped, and turned around when he heard a female yell, "Good job, Yuki!"

Turning around, Aru saw a black haired boy with blue eyes, a yellow hat, an orange jacket, and a black undershirt, accompanied by a pink haired girl with pink eyes in an aero blue colored school uniform-esque outfit. Although Aru felt some sort of peculiar longing for the boy, he knew that he had to ask them a few questions about the events that took place today.

"Ah, good afternoon. My name is Aru Akise. And you are?"

The boy was the first to speak. "I'm Yukiteru Amano. Nice to meet you."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "I'm Yuno Gasai. What are you doing up here?"

_Yukiteru Amano? That's the name in my diary! But how did they get here after me? I boarded the elevator right after 2:40. By that point, the 3rd should have already attacked him. I think I'll ask about that first._

Aru pulled out his cell phone. "Before I answer that, I'd like to ask you a question, Yukiteru-kun. According to my phone, you were supposed to be on the 14th floor of this store at 2:40. I boarded the elevator at 2:41. So, how did I get to the 14th floor before you?"

Yuno's eyes widened, and upon seeing Aru's Future Diary, her voice became deeper. "Wha…how did _you_ get a Future Diary?"

"I found it in my room this morning. Now then, could one of you answer my question?"

"I…fine. I took Yuki up to the rooftop because the 3rd was waiting to kill him on the 14th floor. I figured that he would follow us as soon as his plan to ambush Yuki failed, but Yuki's diary said that the 3rd had been paralyzed, so we went back to the 14th floor and destroyed his Future Diary, killing him in the process."

Aru's eyes narrowed. "You do realize that the man you killed was an infamous serial killer, right? He had been loose for two years, and I was about to call the police after I had successfully pacified him. Now that he's gone, we can't extract more information from him. We also can't use his arrest to scare other criminals away from their own lives of crime."

Yuno gave an innocent smile. "Oopsies!"

Aru sighed. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about him anymore. Oh yes, before I go, I have one more question to ask. The man kept referring to someone as 'the 1st.' Would that happen to be one of you, by any chance?"

Yukiteru nodded. "Yes…I'm the 1st Diary Owner, and Yuno is the 2nd. There are supposed to be twelve in total."

Yuno puffed up her cheeks. "Yuki! He didn't need to know that! He's a Diary Owner too, you know! He'll kill you so that he'll become God instead of you!

Suddenly, Yuno turned to Aru and glared at him. "Don't you _dare_ even _think _about hurting Yuki, alright?!"

Aru's eyes widened slightly, but he managed to keep his cool. "Relax. Killing people goes against my morals as a detective. I work to punish the guilty, protect the innocent, and find the truth. Also, what is this about becoming God?"

Yuno quickly put her hands up to her mouth. "No!"

Yukiteru's eyes widened. "Wait, you didn't know about the Battle Royale, Aru? That's strange. Deus called all of the Future Diary holders to tell us about it."

"Yeah, that is strange, Yuki. Wait a second! If that's true, then Deus must not know about your Future Diary! But that makes no sense! If you aren't one of the 12 Diary Holders, then how come you have a Future Diary?"

Aru smiled. "It's an enigma, isn't it? But, unwinding conundrums such as this is what I live for as a detective. Besides, if I wasn't called for this 'Battle Royale', then there's no reason to worry about me, is there?"

Yuno's eyes widened. "You…have a point. Come on, Yuki. Let's go home!"

Yukiteru simply nodded as Yuno dragged him to the elevator.

_What a peculiar turn of events. A serial killer that the police had been tracking for years died because a simple dart pierced his cell phone…his Future Diary. Wait…ah ha! I see. The lives of the Diary Owners must be connected to their Diaries. I'll make sure to keep that in mind. Well, I've had enough excitement for one day._

With a yawn, Aru went down the elevator, rode his bike home, and took a nap. After a routine dinner and small homework session, the silver haired boy went to bed.

_Meanwhile…_

Murmur, bored from her usual shoujo manga series, decided to go out and watch the participants. Unfortunately for her, she came across Aru and his Future Diary.

Shaking with rage, she muttered, "How does he have a Diary? We only gave out twelve! And the Diary got slipped to_him_ of all people! He's such a party-pooper! I have to tell Deus!"

With that, she flew off to the Cathedral of Causality.

"Deus! I've got bad news!"

"What is it, Murmur?"

"Aru has a Future Diary! He could ruin the fun of your game!"

Deus simply laughed. "You don't need to worry, Murmur. He is my creation. If he becomes too unruly, I could end his artificial life right then and there."

Murmur was still worried, but she nodded and left the Cathedral.

_Deus may not care about you, but I do. I refuse to let you ruin my fun! So, Aru Akise, know that I'm keeping my eye on you._


	2. Discussion with the 4th

A Sadistic Game: Chapter 2

The day after the 3rd was killed, Aru decided to bike over to the police station.

_Yesterday was quite the experience. So many confusing events happened in succession. But, I should have time to worry about that later. For now, I need to help the police bring an end to the case of the serial killer, a case that has plagued them for two years. Hopefully, my testimony regarding what happened yesterday might help them out. In addition, there's another particular case that's been nagging them for quite some time. Perhaps they have a lead on that as well. I'm sure they'll be fine with me skipping school again; we simply can't have criminals like that roaming around without bars in front of them. That's one reason why I became a detective in the first place._

With a smile, Aru put his bike on the rack, ran up to the station, and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a young man with brown eyes, brown hair, a black tie, a gray coat, and a white undershirt.

Aru smiled. "Nishijiama-san. It's good to see you."

"Good morning, Aru. What brings you here today?"

"Do you mind if I come in first?"

"No, go right ahead."

With a nod, the silver haired boy stepped inside the station, closing the door behind him.

"Nishijiama-san…yesterday was quite a chaotic day. Did anyone give you an update on the serial killer?"

"No, not yet. It amazes me how he's managed to escape our detection for two years."

"I know what happened to him. I apologize for not telling you immediately, but I remembered that Kurusu-sama had a day off yesterday. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk with both of you about what happened."

"I suppose that's fine. He should still be in his office."

"Excellent. Let's go together. However, I would prefer if you two were the only ones to hear what I'm about to say. It's a rather…fascinating tale, to say the least."

"Alright, if you insist. You've been very helpful, so I'll take your word for it."

"Thank you very much."

Soon afterwards, Aru knocked on a rather large midnight black door.

A voice came from the other end. "Who is it?"

"Aru Akise, Kurusu-sama. I've come with Nishijiama-san to give you important news about the serial killer. Do you mind if we come in?"

"If you're knocking on my door it must be important, so go ahead."

With that, Aru opened the door slowly to reveal a man with black hair, brown eyes, a black tie, a white buttoned shirt, and a blue jacket. He was sitting behind a big mahogany desk in a comfy blue recliner. Kurusu gestured for the two to come in, they did so, and Aru closed the door behind him.

Aru was the first to speak. "It's good to see you, Kurusu-sama."

"You too, Apprentice Detective. Now then, what's this news you want to tell us?"

Aru pulled out his cell phone. "First, I'd like to ask if you have heard of something known as a Future Diary."

Kurusu's eyes widened. "…Yes, I have."

"Good. I happen to have one. I tested it out a little and discovered that it keeps tabs on important events that happen each day. It resets every day, and it updates every ten minutes. However, the information is in bullet points, and as such, the event isn't described in much detail and it can be rather tough to read. In addition, it can only predict events that happen for the present day. I call it The Memorandum Diary."

Nishijiama was shocked. "Wh…what?!"

Kurusu nodded. "I see. Is this your big news, Aru?"

"No, it isn't. My news is that the serial killer planned to attack someone named Yukiteru Amano, a student from my school, yesterday."

"He did? Damn, does that bastard ever take a break? Did he succeed?"

"No, he didn't. Yukiteru-kun didn't arrive as he expected, and instead, I showed up. He tried to attack me, but I managed to grab his weapon and pacify him. Unfortunately, just as I was about to call the police station, Yukiteru-kun and a girl named Yuno Gasai arrived. One of them, I believe it was Yukiteru-kun, threw a dart at the serial killer's phone, which happened to be his Future Diary. However, and this is the strange part, the destruction of this phone caused him to…well…vanish. I got a little more information out of Yukiteru-kun and Yuno-san and then I went home, confused and exhausted."

Nishijiama's eyes widened. "Well…you weren't kidding when you said it was a fascinating tale…"

Kurusu pulled out his phone. "It isn't too fascinating, Nishijiama. After all, I'm a Future Diary owner too, the Fourth, to be precise. And it's good to see you using your Future Diary to solve crime, Aru. Someday, you may be a great detective."

Aru smiled. "Thank you, Kurusu-sama."

"By the way, did you pick up the Diary numbers of the serial killer, Yukiteru, and Yuno?"

"Yes, I did. They are the Third, First, and Second, in that order."

"Excellent. Well, it's a darn shame we couldn't put the serial killer behind bars, nor do we know his true identity yet, but at the very least, we don't have to worry about him anymore. I guess we can put our focus on our next long-lasting case now."

Aru nodded. "Of course. That terrorist has been wreaking havoc on Sakurami City for a long time. Do you have any leads on her, Kurusu-sama?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. According to my Criminal Investigation Diary, she's planning on attacking Sakurami Middle School tomorrow."

Nishijiama spoke up. "Aru looks like he's thinking of a counter-plan. Do you mind if I stay here to listen to it?"

Kurusu shrugged. "I suppose so. Be sure to return to your duties when he's done though."

"Of course, sir."

All of a sudden, Aru snapped his fingers. "Ah ha! I believe I have a plan."

Kurusu smiled. "We're listening."

"Alright. Well, I am a student of the targeted school, so I know my way around it fairly well. I may not be able to pinpoint her exact location tomorrow, but I can make a few deductions."

"Go on."

"First, I believe that there is some reason as to why she's attacking this school. All of her previous attacks were related to the destruction of religion, and this school is definitely not religious. Therefore, she will not seek to destroy the entire school. Still, she may intend to place time bombs in the school for leverage. I can also conclude that an investigation of the school at this point would prove fruitless, due to her track record of escapism, and she would probably form some sort of counterattack. Getting back to the reason for her attack, I believe it relates to one of the two people who killed the 3rd Diary Owner. From what I can gather, these Diary Owners are locked in some 'Battle Royale' for the chance to become God. This leads me to one of two conclusions. The first, which is more likely, she intends to kill all of the Diary Owners so that no one can become God. However, there is also a possibility that she possesses a Future Diary. If that's the case, then while her intent hasn't changed, her motive is that with her as God, she'll be able to dispel all of the religions in the world. Hmm…Kurusu-sama, do you know anything about the 'Battle Royale'?"

"Hmm…well, I do know that only the Future Diary owners should be privy to its existence…ah ha! Yes, now I remember. She is a Diary owner."

"Excellent. Well, that makes things easier. Now that I know that for certain, my plan should be locked in stone. I will arrive to school early, attempt to draw out her Future Diary as leverage, talk to her regarding the reason for her attack if my attempt is successful, and perhaps, if I'm lucky, I may be able to convince her to stop. I know it's extremely unlikely, and I know this is very risky due to her nature, but if I can pacify her, she might make a good ally. After all, her childhood was quite tragic with her parents dying when she was eight due to a religious war. There had to have been good inside of her at some point in her life. And helping those who are in trouble is my job as a detective."

Kurusu's eyes widened. "Wow…well, you've certainly come up with some solid deductions. However, as I'm sure you know, she is a master of disguise. Do you think that she'll attack with a disguise tomorrow?"

"Even if she does, her voice is naturally much deeper than the students at this school, and I can tell when someone is using a voice box. Besides, she hasn't been caught by the police in a long time, so I'd imagine that would lead to some overconfidence. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't decide to disguise herself at all."

"…I see. Well, you have the number of the police station, so just call if you need backup. This is a rather risky plan, you know. Trying to reason with a psychopathic terrorist is not easy by any stretch of the imagination."

"I know. I'll make sure to put it on speed-dial. However, I do believe that there's still hope for her, and that, while unlikely, this plan can succeed."

Kurusu sighed. "You're a crazy kid, you know that? But, crazy or not, you've got a lot of guts. That's an important quality for a detective. Alright, we'll let the station know about your plan, and if things go awry, we'll be right there."

"Thank you, Kurusu-sama. Well, I suppose the game has begun. I'll make sure to keep you updated, and I plan on experimenting with my Diary when I get back home. I have a feeling my comprehension of its inner workings with prove integral in the upcoming days."

"Sounds good. Take care. Nishijiama, back to your duties."

With a nod from both of them, they left the office.

"Good luck, Aru. I hope everything goes well tomorrow."

"Thank you, Nishijiama-san."

Aru turned around and walked back to his bike.

_It's been a long time since I've had to come up with a plan like this, but this might be our only chance to reason with her, because this isn't a religious attack. She may destroy innocents just so she can get one step closer to winning this sadistic game. Perhaps I can appeal to her humanity, but that's doubtful. However, appealing to her hatred towards religion may be the key we need. I'll simply need to keep her personality and motivations in mind. Also, how am I going to get her phone out? I think obfuscating stupidity may be the best way. I could just walk up and ask her for directions, and maybe scratch the back of my head too. Hopefully, that can get her to pull her phone out, and then it should be smooth sailing from there. Plus, my diary should be able to locate her tomorrow, so finding her shouldn't be an issue. Well, tomorrow is going to be a big day. I'd better just check out my phone before getting some good rest._

Aru decided to ride around the city for a little to get some more exercise and to disguise the fact that he didn't go to school again. His plan succeeded, and he had the evening in his room to tinker with his Future Diary.

First, he decided to see if the screen was touch-sensitive by flicking his finger across it. Due to the fact that the focus of the screen shifted from Yukiteru to Yuno with his flick, it definitely was.

_Good. This should make things easier._

Next, he scrolled down Yuno's 'page', as it were, and saw a few buttons at the bottom, such as 'bookmark', 'alert', and 'dead end update'.

_Ah, this must be for keeping tabs. The diary is a bit clunky, so it's good that I can stay updated on certain people. There's probably a limit to the number of bookmarks I can have, but that's no big deal._

Finally, he went back to the main menu, where he saw two buttons towards the middle of the screen. One said 'Satellite Mode', and the other said 'Connect Mode.' He tapped the former, causing a screen to pop up.

_Do you want to engage Satellite Mode? You will be able to keep in contact with other Future Diary owners in a 1 kilometer radius, but your battery will deplete quicker. Is that alright? *YES* *NO*_

Aru pressed no, and then pressed the other button.

_Do you want to engage Connect Mode? With a USB cable, other Future Diary owners can link to your phone and contact you in a 100 kilometer radius, but your battery will deplete quicker. Is that alright? *YES* *NO*_

Aru pressed no again, and saw that the phone had no other special features. Still, even without the Future Diary, this was an impressively modern cell phone.

_This is going to be quite helpful for solving cases. I have a feeling the next few days are going to be tough, but I'm ready for them. I just have to think carefully and take what opportunities life gives me. Because in order to get the result I want, I'll need to understand the people around me. That way, I can save those who need saving and condemn those who warrant condemnation. …Oh yeah, that reminds me. Where's the charger for this thing?_

After a little, Aru found the charger a little behind where the phone initially was. Then, he let out a short 'silly me' laugh for not staying around to look for it. Finally, Aru plugged his phone in to recharge it and he drifted off to sleep once more.


End file.
